Edward McKenna and Karen Choi formed EMKC as a private property investment business in 2013. At the time Edward and Karen held roles within the McKenna family’s large scale property development business in Australia, Commercial & Industrial Property (CIP) which was subsequently sold to a listed company.

Edward McKenna and Karen Choi departed CIP on good terms to explore the more innovative side of the commercial property sector in Australia and Asia and shortly thereafter co-founded the EMKC operating business in Australia.

Edward and Karen continued to grow the EMKC operating business in Australia, growing a team of property, finance and architectural professionals across Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, servicing a mix of joint venture partners and consultancy clients across the East Coast of Australia and South East Asia. In the late 2010s EMKC commenced large format property development on balance sheet which led to the establishment of long standing investor relationships.

Edward and Karen partnered with 26Cubed to form EMKC Cubed (EMKC³), the evolution of the EMKC operating business. Having concluded a AUD 500m+ seedasset transaction with Morgan Stanley’s PRIME Asia Fund and Australian stock exchange listed LendLease in 2023, EMKC³ turned its focus to establishing a funds management business.

Witnessing the growth trajectory of the group’s activities across Asia, Edward and Karen relocated to Hong Kong in 2025 to establish the EMKC Group as a family office and investment business. EMKC Group actively invests in property, hotel, hospitality and professional services businesses across the Asia Pacific region, including the flagship EMKC³, Portier and Ativa businesses. Additionally, EMKC Group invests in select property assets and financial instruments as part of its family office activities.